The Art of Restoration
by Dean Winchester 459
Summary: AU. Set after 3x12 After Derek uncovers a hidden talent, Deaton discovers that he may posses an even greater power. But will Derek live to use it?
1. Carry On My Wayward Son

**Hey guys! This is my first venture in writing fan fiction, so don't judge too harshly. I would appreciate reviews, so that I know what you guys like, and what I should fix. I came up with this after watching a movie that had this as a plot line. And I thought it would be kinda cool to see a softer side to Derek. I've also come up with some reasons as to why we've never seen anybody take Derek's pain, although he's taken plenty from others. I hope you enjoy this piece of fiction about the much underrated Derek Hale. Don't forget to leave a review!**

Scott turned towards Derek. After warning off Deucalion, he decided to address the fact that Derek's eyes were once again an icey blue instead of the blazing red of an alpha. Which led to the question; what happened? It was obvious that Derek seemed drained from holding off the druid, not that he would say anything, which plainly stated that Derek was no longer an alpha.

"Derek, are you ok?" Scott asked worriedly as he noticed a wound on Derek's head that was not healed. Derek's head shot up at Scott's inquiry.

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. We should go check on the others." He quickly reassured the young teen. There was no need to burden him further with his troubles. Scott looked at him skeptically.

"Ok." Scott said doubtfully. "Let's go." He let Derek lead the way out of the distillery.

Scott felt apprehensive when they began to approach the Nemeton. He hoped his mother wasn't hurt. Or any of the other parents for that matter. But as he and Derek neared the group, it was apparent that someone _was_ injured. Melissa McCall was kneeling beside an injured Isaac, trying to stop the flow of blood from a deep cut that stretched from the bottom of his armpit to his hip. Sheriff Stilinski was helping rip bandages from Isaac's dirty shirt, while Allison was holding his head in her lap with her father by her side. Stiles stood off the the side, looking at a loss as to what to do. Scott and Derek both broke into a run at the sight, coming to a sliding stop at the scene.

"What happened?" Scott asked hurriedly as he knelt down beside his mother.

"When the quaking stopped, we started climbing out of the cellar. After Isaac and Stiles got out, they started helping the others get out." She paused as she placed another cloth strip over Isaac's open wound. "Well," she sighed, "All of a sudden, Isaac started screaming. He just dropped to the ground. When I lifted his shirt, there was a large laceration across his torso." Scott looked to Allison, who seemed ready to cry. He was about to go comfort her, but her father beat him to it. Instead, he hopped up and stood next to Stiles.

"Hey, Allison." Chris said softly as he placed a comforting hand on around her shoulder. "He's gonna be ok. It's gonna be ok." He soothed. Allison nodded as a tear made its way down her cheek.

"I know. Thanks," Allison said thankfully, looking at her father.

Stiles stood off to the side with Scott.

"What do you think happened?" Scott asked.

"I might have an idea," Stiles began. "But it's just a theory. I remember reading one of Deaton's books and it said somewhere that some druids are able to inflict wounds on people with a physical tye, like blood or a piece of clothing. But they have to be powerful enough. Do you think he's gonna be ok?" He questioned, looking at Scott.

"Of course. My mom is the best at this thing. He'll be up in no time." Scott reassured, though still feeling doubtful himself. Their attention was drawn back to Isaac as he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in pain.

 _It's all my fault,_ Derek thought. _I should have protected him..._ It almost broke his heart to see young Isaac in pain severe enough that the young beta had tears falling from his closed eyes. When Isaac whimpered, and then went silent, Derek knew what he had to do.

"We gotta get him to a hospital." Ms. McCall told the Sheriff. He nodded and stood up to place a call to 9-1-1.

While everyone was focused on the injured Isaac, no one noticed Derek kneel down beside his fallen beta and take his hand in his. He closed his eyes as he started to siphon the pain from Isaac's wound. Allison looked back to Isaac as he began to groan and shift as the pain left his body. It was then she noticed with a shock that Derek was taking Isaac's pain. Now everyone's focus was on Derek as the veins in his arms and neck stood out. His body was shaking from the effort and energy it took. Scott realized with a start that Derek wasn't just taking Isaac's pain; he was healing him. Ms. McCall gasped as the once deep laceration started to seal itself up.

Derek growled and threw his head up in a howl of agony as the pain flowed through him. His eyes glowed and he allowed his fangs to extend, unable to use the power it took to conceal them. Stiles jumped at the sight of blood that seemed to materialize on the front of Derek's shirt. Derek's howl began to quiet as he dropped his head and began panting, finished with his work. His face was covered in sweat and he started to shiver as the breeze picked up. He took a deep breath as his eyes rolled and he fell unconscious. Scott was the first one to react, jumping to pick Derek up from the dirt. Isaac sat up with a start, looking around confused. It was then that his gaze fell to the fallen werewolf. Ms. McCall hurried over to Derek's side, lifting his shirt to inspect the source of the blood stain that now covered the front of his dark coloured tee. She gasped as she took in the sight of a laceration that looked exactly like the one that had laid across Isaac's torso. Isaac crawled over to Derek and shook head, trying in vain to wake him.

"Please wake up," Isaac pleaded.

"We have to get him to Deaton's," Scott said hurriedly. Chris moved to try and carry the well-built werewolf. "I'll take his head, Scott, you take his legs." Chris ordered. The Sheriff also rushed to help carry him.  
"Get him to the Jeep!" The Sheriff yelled. Stiles ran to open the back door of his precious vehicle which was mercifully parked only a few yards away.

Deaton was busy reading a book on medicine when he heard a loud knock on his back door. He was shocked at the sight that greeted him through the peephole. He hurried to open the door. As soon as it was open, Scott and Isaac rushed in carrying an unconscious Derek.

"Set him on the table!" Deaton ordered. "Lay him down gently." As he approached the fallen man, Ms. McCall, Sheriff Stilinski, Allison, and Chris Argent came through the door with Stiles trailing behind. As he examined the deep cut along Derek's side, he noticed worriedly that it wasn't healing. "Can anyone tell me what happened here?" He asked as he removed Derek's blood stained shirt.

"We don't know," Scott explained. "One minute Isaac was on the ground bleeding, and the next…" He went on to explain the story in detail as of Deaton's urging. He needed to know why the young man wasn't healing like he should. Now as Scott finished up his story, Deaton came to a revelation. "I know the problem," Deaton started.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Scott questioned in a rush.

"It's a talent very few shapeshifters posses. It's called Restoration, the ability to heal others completely of their wounds or ailments. But you can't just make that much negative energy disappear, it has to go somewhere. So when they heal someone, they take that injury or disease on themselves. In other words, Derek here took Isaac's injury by siphoning his pain while also committing to taking the wound himself."

Isaac's eyes widened, as did everyone else's in the room, when he realized what Derek had done.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Isaac questioned quietly.  
"He should be, as long as he gets plenty of bedrest, and lots of care. He'll heal, but it'll take some time." Deaton explained.  
"How much time?" Mr. Argent asked.

"Well it depends on the severity of the wound or illness and the strength of the individual. I'd guess about 2 weeks to 2 months for this type of wound." Seeing Mr. Argent's surprise, he began to explain. "See, this isn't an ordinary wound. It was inflicted by a druid's physical tye. When she 'slit' Isaac's side, she intended for him to die slowly and painfully, which he would have if Derek hadn't taken it. Derek is much stronger than Isaac, which means he has a much better chance of surviving the wound."

"Where is he gonna stay?" Scott asked inquisitively. "He can't go to the loft. Cora disappeared, and he can't stay with just Peter."

"Scott's right, he can't stay with Peter. He'd probably kill him." Isaac repeated.

"He can stay at our house." Ms. McCall spoke up. "I have a few weeks vacation coming up, and I have more than enough experience to care for him."

"So can me and Isaac." Scott said. When his mother looked about to say something, he continued. "Mom, we couldn't go to school anyways. It's shut down for a few days because of the big storm."

"Well, it looks like it's settled then. But Ms. McCall, I should warn you, he's gonna be in a lot of pain when he regains consciousness, and he's gonna need a lot of care. We're talking 24/7 here." Deaton explained.

"It's fine. Me and the boys will be more than able to handle it. We'll call you if we need you." Ms. McCall assured.

"Alright, just let me get him stitched up and you'll be able to take him home." Deaton said before rounding up his tools.

Midway through stitching, Derek began to moan. Isaac and Scott rushed over to him, while Deaton tried to hurry as best he could. He paused as Derek shifted.

"Boys, you have to hold him. I've gotta get these stitches in."

"Ok," Scott replied. Both he and Isaac tried to take some of Derek's pain, but to no avail. When it looked like Isaac and Scott's attempts at taking Derek's pain failed and Derek wasn't settling down, Ms. McCall came over and ran a hand soothingly through his sweat-soaked hair. He inhaled sharply, then leaned into the comforting touch. "Shhh now," she hushed as she tried to alleviate his pain through human contact. He murmured something indistinguishable to everyone but Isaac and Scott, who were shocked. Derek whimpered softly before going completely still.  
"What'd he say?" Allison questioned as she looked back and forth between Isaac and Scott.

"He said….he said 'Mom'." Scott related quietly. Ms. McCall couldn't help the look of sympathy that crossed her features at Scott's revelation.

"There, all done." Deaton proclaimed. "You can take him home now. I'm sorry I can't give him any anaesthetic or pain pills."

"Why not?" Stiles questioned, looking confused.  
"Because they don't work on werewolves. Their healing ability doesn't allow it, just like it doesn't let them get drunk." Deaton explained.

"Wait, he can't get drunk?" Stiles asked. "Bummer."

"Isaac, help me lift him will you?" Scott may be a werewolf with supernatural strength, but Derek Hale was almost twice his weight, and had a supernatural strength of his own which made him very heavy. "Where we putting him?" Isaac asked as he went to pick up Derek's feet.

"In my SUV," Chris spoke up. "It's a lot more comfortable than Stiles's Jeep."

"Ok great. Just follow me." Ms. McCall said quickly. As they all left the clinic, Deaton shut and locked the doors behind them. He then hurried over to his books to do some research. There was something vaguely familiar about this, but he wasn't sure what. He settled in for a long night.

When Chris finally pulled up to the McCall house, he quickly opened his door and went for the side door. Allison and Scott were riding in the back with Derek, who was beginning to gain consciousness as they neared Scott's house. He opened the door to reveal a worried Allison and troubled Scott. It was obvious that Derek was in pain, with his heavy breathing and a pinched look on his face, but Scott was unable to help. Allison was unsure of what to do, so she just tried to hold his head still.

"Here, give me his head." Chris instructed. While Allison tried to pass Derek over to her waiting father, Scott jumped out of the other door and came around to help. While Chris took his head, Scott took his feet.

"Over here!" Ms. McCall shouted gently so as not to wake the neighbors, with it being around midnight. Chris and Scott hurried over to the open door. Ms. McCall led the way to the spare bedroom while Sheriff Stilinski held the door. Isaac, Stiles, and Allison came in behind, waiting for an order or something. All three felt useless, but Isaac felt worse. Earlier today he had accused Derek of just wanting power, and of not caring. Then he had left him. _Betrayed him is a better word for it,_ Isaac thought bitterly. He felt guilty about not only being insensitive, but of leaving his alpha who was trying his hardest to hold his pack together despite his own personal problems.

"Isaac! Stiles! Allison! Get up here quick!" Chris yelled down the stairs. After they had carried the half conscious young man up the stairs, they laid him down on the guest bed in the room which was sandwiched between Scott's and Isaac's rooms. After settling him in the bed though, Derek began to stir, moaning and moving about. Chris tried in vain to hold him still, afraid that he would rip his stitches open. Isaac, Stiles, and Allison came rushing into the room.

"Isaac, help me hold him still!" Scott asked in a strained voice. Isaac rushed over to help, as even when unconscious, Derek was one hell of a powerhouse. As he pushed his head up, he yelled through gritted teeth. Ms. McCall hurried over to Derek's side. She moved his head up and settled it back down in her lap. She attempted to calm him by running her hand through his hair and repeating soothing words while his head now lay in her lap. Her motherly instincts took over as she began rocking him back and forth while humming a lullaby that used to put Scott and Stiles both right to sleep. She rested her chin on his head as he began to relax. His eyes were still squeezed shut, and his breathing was still irregular, but he was calmer now, trying to breath through the pain.

After what seemed like an hour, he drifted off to sleep. Ms. McCall carefully removed his head from her lap and got off the bed.

"There, he's asleep now. We should go. One of us should stay here though."

"I'll stay." Allison stated. Her dad looked over at her with a questioning look. She shot him a look of reassurance. He nodded his head once, and exited the room along with Ms. McCall and Sheriff Stilinski.

"We'll stay too," Scott said as he pointed to Isaac, Stiles, and himself.

As the adults descended the stairs, Chris Argent looked back up the stairs before going into the living room with Ms. McCall and the Sheriff. The Sheriff sighed as he sank into the couch along with Melissa. Chris sat opposite them in an overstuffed chair. They all exhaled in relief.

"Well, he's finally asleep. Let's hope that lasts at least 'till morning." Melissa stated.

"So…..who's all staying here? Stiles said he wanted to stay over with Scott and Isaac if that's okay with you," he nodded to Melissa.

"Yeah, of course it is. The more help the better."

"Well, I don't know how I feel about Allison staying here with all of the boys." Chris said hesitantly. He knew his daughter could take care of herself, but she used to be in love with Scott and now seemed to take a liking to yet another werewolf.

"Oh, it's ok. I'll keep an eye on them. Besides, I'd feel a lot less left out with another female in the house." Melissa replied with a tired grin.

"Well, ok. I don't know how her mother's gonna like this. But I'll explain it the best I can. She can stay if she wants."

"Great. Thank you Chris."

"It's ok. It'd be a shame for Derek to die. He's a fine young man."

"Well ok then, I still gotta go to the office in the morning, so I better go get some sleep. See you around Melissa." Sheriff Stilinski winked at Ms. McCall before standing to leave.

"I guess I better get going too. I'll be around some time tomorrow to check on you guys. See you then." As both the Sheriff and Mr. Argent exited the door and headed to their respective vehicles, Melissa closed the door and headed to the kitchen.

"Allison!" She called up the stairs. "I need your help down here." A few moments later, Allison came gliding down the stairs.

"What do you need?" She questioned, eager to help.

"We're gonna need some ice water and some hand towels. That boy's worked up a pretty good fever and the laceration seems inflamed. We don't want it getting infected, and we can't take him to the hospital. It's too risky." Melissa instructed.

Back upstairs, Scott, Stiles, and Isaac were gathered around Derek's bed.

"Do you think he can hear us?" Stiles questioned.

"Probably not. I think he's too out of it to hear much of anything right now." Scott replied.

He looked over at Isaac, who looked like a kicked puppy.

"Hey Isaac, what's wrong?" Scott asked compassionately.

"This is all my fault! I should never have tried to take down that druid. That's how she got some of my blood." Isaac sputtered.

"Hey, hey. This is not your fault, Isaac. Okay? This is on the druid. And Derek did what he did to protect you." Scott soothed.

"He shouldn't have saved me. I accused him of doing nothing, of helping the actual killer while we were out saving people. I told him that it was his fault that Erica and Boyd died. I betrayed him…...I left him." Isaac ranted, while tears made their way down his cheeks. "This is my fault," he repeated.

"Isaac, it's ok. Derek did what he felt he had too. As your alpha, he felt an obligation to help you. Cora said that a good alpha will do whatever's necessary to keep their beta's alive." Stiles tried to console the distraught Isaac.

"Stiles, I don't think Derek's an alpha anymore." Scott said distractedly. "At the distillery, his eyes were blue, not red. I think something happened."

"But he can't be a beta. I can still feel him! A beta can always feel their alpha. Cora said so." Isaac pointed out.

"Ok, I am officially confused; what the hell is going on? Is Derek an alpha or not?" Stiles asked.

"I don't know." Scott replied.


	2. There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

Scott was really wishing his mother or Allison would get up here soon. Derek was beginning to stir and groan, and he had no idea how to comfort him. He was puzzled at the fact that, though both he and Isaac tried to take away Derek's obvious pain, they were somehow unable to. This left them feeling helpless. Stiles sighed as Melissa came into the room with a large bowl of ice water, while Allison followed closely behind with a few hand towels. Melissa set the bowl of cold water down on the night stand.

"Give me a towel, Allison." Melissa instructed. She dipped the small towel in the water and wrung it out before placing it on Derek's sweaty forehead. Derek exhaled in relief at the comfort the cool cloth on his head brought. He felt as though he was on fire. And his whole torso hurt as though it been slashed into pieces with a katana.

As Melissa examined Derek's injury, she noticed something was off. It not only seemed inflamed, but full of something, like a liquid. His abdomen was starting to swell around the area, and she was beginning to feel worried.

"Scott, call Dr. Deaton. I need to talk to him,"

"Ok," Scott answered. He dialed his boss's number. When it picked up, he handed the phone over to his mother.

"Hello Dr. Deaton, I think we've got a problem." Melissa then began to describe the state if the wound to the veterinarian over the phone.

"Hmm. Do you have a bottle of peroxide?" Deaton asked.

"Yeah, of course I do." Ms. McCall replied.

"What about some mountain ash? Do you have any left over from the security measures?"

"Uh, yeah, I do."

"Good. Mix about a tablespoon of mountain ash into the bottle of peroxide. Then pour it on the wound. It should find its way in on its own. I'll be over in a few minutes. But you have to do it now." Deaton instructed.

"Ok."

Melissa replied and hung up. She left the room only to return with the bottle of peroxide mixed with the mountain ash.

"Scott, Isaac, hold him still. I've gotta put this on his wound so it doesn't get infected." Melissa ordered as she held up a bottle of peroxide.

"This stuff'll burn, but it'll help him in the long run." She explained as she gestured towards the bottle of peroxide.

"What do you want me to do?" Stiles asked, suddenly feeling useless standing off the the side.

"Help Scott and Isaac hold him down." Ms. McCall instructed.

"Okey dokey," Stiles replied as he moved to help Scott hold down Derek's arms, while Isaac held down his legs.

"Ready?" Ms. McCall asked.

"Yeah," Scott replied.

As it turned out, his mother wasn't lying. When she poured the liquid onto the now closed wound, it started to fizz. Derek's breathing picked up, and he began to struggle against the boys' holds. He picked his head up and banged it on the bed repeatedly and hollered through his gritted teeth as the medicinal liquid cleansed the wound. "I can't hold him much longer!" Stiles yelled.

"Uhh, Mom? Is that normal?" Scott questioned as a dark brown ooze began to seep from the wound. Ms. McCall's eyes widened at the sight.  
"I don't know what's normal for supernatural wounds!" Melissa replied.

It was then she heard a knock on the door.

"Allison, go get the door! It's Probably Dr. Deaton." Melissa instructed.

Allison ran down the stairs and opened the door.

"Hurry! We need your help upstairs." Allison nearly shouted.

As if to prove her claim, they both could hear Derek's wild cries of pain. They both hurried up the stairs. Deaton entered the room quickly. He almost froze at the sight; Derek was writhing in pure agony on the bed while Scott, Isaac, and Stiles were trying their best to keep him still. He rushed over to Derek's side, quickly sizing up the injury.

"You've gotta try and hold him still. This stuff _has_ to come out. It's poisonous sap from the Nemeton." Deaton ordered. All four of the kids looked at each other worriedly. Poisonous sap from the Nemeton didn't sound good at all. Isaac looked on in horror as Deaton removed several tools and bottles from his bag.

"If we're lucky, he'll go unconscious from the pain. If we're not...he's _really_ gonna feel this." Deaton hoped as he pulled a wicked looking scalpel from his bag.

"Now, you have to hold him still. Otherwise, I could end up cutting into something I didn't mean to interfere with. Ready?" Deaton asked as he looked from Scott, to Stiles, to Isaac. All three nodded.

"Here it goes," Deaton murmured as he placed the scalpel to the wound. He pressed down hard to draw blood, then began to slide it all the way down. As soon as the metal touched his skin, Derek tried to pull away. But he was unable to do so, for there were several sets of hands restraining him. He let out a barely restrained shout as it pierced his skin and made its way down inside his wound. He could feel that something wasn't right. His whole body began shaking as he tried to hold himself still. He let out one last wild shout of pain when the scalpel went deeper into his injury, and he sank into the beckoning darkness.

"He's out." Scott said as Derek's head lolled to the side in unconsciousness.

"Good, that's good. Let's just hope he stays that way."

As Deaton finished making his incision, the brown sap began to seep out of the wound at a much faster pace. They sat around, waiting and watching until it was nearly 2 in the morning. As Deaton stitched the wound back up, he beckoned Melissa closer.

"Ms. McCall, I need you to call me if it starts swelling again. Ok?"

"Ok." Melissa replied.

"There, that should be it for tonight." Deaton sighed as he stretched and straightened. He grabbed his tools and placed them in his bag.

"Just do your best to make him comfortable, and try not to let him move around too much." Deaton instructed as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"I'll let myself out," He assured Melissa and he stopped her ascent from Derek's bedside.

"See you later Doc," Scott called in a quiet voice.

"Whew, am I the only one that thought that was kinda weird? Maybe a little unsettling?" Stiles questioned as he sat next to Scott

"Well, I've never seen anything like that before." Scott replied.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. I'm gonna go downstairs and make some supper. That ok with you guys?" Ms. McCall asked as she stood to go.

"Definitely," Stiles replied emphatically. When Ms. McCall left the room, the teens turned towards one another.

"So...what now?" Allison questioned.

"I guess we just wait and see. And like Deaton said, make him as comfortable as possible." Scott answered.

Allison moved over to Derek's head as he began to shift.

"He's waking up _again_?" Stiles questioned.

"No. At least I don't think so. He's just moving around some. But we shouldn't let him move too much. Remember what Deaton said." Scott responded.

Allison took the now dry cloth from Derek's forehead and dunked it in the water. She wrung it out, then replaced the wet cloth on his head. She then took a larger hand towel and placed it in the water.

"What're you doing?" Stiles asked inquisitively.

"My dad says that, when you have an inflamed wound like this, you should try and cool it down. I'm gonna put a wet towel on it. Kinda like the one on his head." Allison explained as she wrung out the towel and began to place in on the angry looking injury.

Stiles jumped as Derek groaned and moved. Allison moved closer and tried to sooth him. "Shh, shhh. It's ok, it's ok. You're gonna be fine."

Derek relaxed and went back to sleep.

"We still haven't seen his eyes yet." Scott ventured.

"Yeah? So?" Stiles replied.

"So….we still don't know if he's still an alpha or not. I don't think he is, but Isaac _is_ his beta, and he would know if Derek wasn't an alpha anymore." Scott responded.

" _Wow_ this is confusing."

"We'll just have to wait and see I guess." Scott said.

"Yeah."

After feeding on sandwiches at somewhere around 4 in the morning, Ms. McCall suggested that they all try and get at least a little sleep. Ms. McCall went to her room with instructions to wake her if anything happened. Allison went to the couch in the living room, while Isaac went to his room, leaving the door unnecessarily cracked in case Derek woke. Scott asked his reasoning for cracking the door when he could probably hear just fine, but Isaac just replied that he was a heavy sleeper.

Scott went to his room with Stiles tagging along.

"So...what do we do now? I can't exactly go to sleep, my head is buzzing. I gotta feeling like something's off, but I'm not sure what." Scott said, looking over at Stiles.

"Well, that makes two of us. I can't sleep either. Maybe we should look up druids." Stiles suggested.

"Maybe. I wonder what Deaton's found. He said he felt something was off too, said he was going to look into it." Scott replied.

As if on cue, Scott's phone rang. The screen said Dr. Deaton. Scott hurriedly answered and put it on speaker so that Stiles could hear.

"Hey Doc, what's up?" Scott questioned.

"I may have found something. I'll be around in the morning to check for sure. In the meantime, I need you to check Derek's eyes. What color are they?"

"Uhhh, we'll go check." Scott assured as both he and Stiles headed to the guest room.

"Ok, who's gonna check his eyes?" Stiles asked.

"Who cares?" Scott responded.

"Well, I just don't feel like getting grabbed and possibly strangled by an unconscious werewolf!" Stiles retorted strongly.

"Fine. I'LL do it. Feel better now?" Scott asked sarcastically as he touched Derek's forehead. They both jumped as Derek grabbed Scott's wrist in an iron grip.

"Gah!" Scott gasped as he quickly tried to pull his arm free. They both backed quickly away from the bed as Derek went limp.

"I TOLD you!" Stiles quipped in a whisper as he looked over at Scott.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's try that again." Scott replied cautiously.

They both looked at each other and inched closer to Derek's bed.

Stiles inhaled sharply and held his breath as Scott lifted his eyelid. As soon as Scott saw Derek's eyes, he dropped all measures of precaution and leaned in to take a closer look.

"Stiles, look at this." Scott exclaimed. Stiles leaned over and looked closely at Derek's iris.

"It's red!" Stiles exclaimed. "Dark red."


	3. Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

"Red. His eyes were red." Scott told Deaton over the phone. "But they weren't a normal alpha red. It was like a deeper red."

"Hmmm. That's what I thought. I'll be over later tonight. I have some other leads to look into. Oh, and one more thing, keep an eye on him will you? He should probably begin waking up soon, and he'll need you there when he does. See you soon Scott." And with that Deaton hung up.

"So?" Stiles pressed. "What's going on?"

"I don't know yet. But I think Deaton might. He's coming over tomorrow night. He's busy looking into some other leads on this."

"Fan-freaking-tastic." Stiles grumbled. "So...what do we do now?"

"I dunno." Scott answered as he looked at his watch. "It's almost 5 in the morning. And I still don't feel like sleeping."

"Me neither." Stiles agreed.

"Well….we could just wait in here." Scott stated with a shrug. "Deaton said Derek's probably gonna wake up soon. And we're gonna need to be here when he does."

"Great." Stiles grumbled as he sat down in the chair that was positioned in the corner of the room. "So….you're an alpha huh?" Stiles asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Deaton says I'm something called a True Alpha."

"Cool!" Stiles declared.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What'dya mean, 'I guess'.?" Stiles asked.

"Well I mean, I got a lot of responsibility with school, and lacrosse, and you guys. How will I fit being an alpha into my schedule? And besides, I don't feel like I belong in charge. Especially of a pack. I just don't think I'm ready for that kind of responsibility. You know?"

"Yeah, I can see where you going with it. But you'll be a great alpha Scott. The world needs a little optimism. Leave the serious thinking and grumpy faces to sourwolf over there," Stiles said as he nodded towards the bed. "Trust me, he's a master at scowling."

Scott and Stiles both started laughing, then suddenly stopped as they both heard Derek groan. They both looked over to the bed in near synchronization, watching as his breathing picked up and he began to move.

"Hey, hey!" Scott shouted to no one in particular as he jumped off his chair and moved over to the bed with Stiles close behind.

"What do we do?" Stiles panicked as Derek began to literally roll off the bed.

"Help me keep him still!" Scott yelled. Stiles rushed to keep him from falling off the bed. Isaac came bursting into the room, took one look at Derek, and ran over to help.

When Derek started gagging, Scott realized what was happening.

"Roll him over!" He yelled. Isaac and Stiles just looked at each other, then obediently rolled Derek onto his side. As soon as they turned him, Derek's stomach flexed and blood came rushing out of his mouth, mixed with a black liquid. Just then, Melissa and Allison rushed into the room, rubbing their eyes.

'What's going on?" Melissa asked quickly as she rushed over to Derek's side. She took one look at the liquid on the floor, then ordered Allison to hurry and grab some towels.

As soon as it had started, it was over. Derek gasped as he opened his eyes for the first time since falling unconscious. Scott and Stiles gasped when they saw the color of his eyes. They no longer were the deep red they had witnessed earlier. They were glowing a deep purple. Derek's face screwed up in pain as he awoke fully. He looked over to Scott, who looked down at him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity from his place near the bed.

"Hey buddy, you with us?" Scott asked in a gentle tone. Derek's gaze drifted from Ms. McCall, who was trying to clean up the mess of liquid on the floor, to Allison, who stood nearby, a worried expression plastered on her face. Then Stiles, who stood next to Scott like the loyal friend he was, to Isaac, who looked a mixture of sad, regretful, worried, and guilty. He let his gaze focus back on Scott, who was trying desperately to get any kind of response from him.

"M'here." He managed to mumble past his dry lips. Try as he might, he couldn't get his eyes to focus. And every sound and smell was amplified to the point where it was almost unbearable. His chest began to heave as he tried to catch a breath. As the effects of sleep began to wear off, he started to feel everything. The smooth sheets underneath him, the gentleness of the hands restraining him. However, the pain was also ignited. But he wasn't ready for it. He screwed his eyes shut as let out an unrestrained cry of agony.

"Derek!" Ms. McCall shouted. "Look at me!" He turned his head towards her, his chest still heaving, the pain coming in waves. "Breathe," she said softly. He nodded his head and began trying to slow down his heart rate and breathe even. He was hit with another wave of pain so severe that he could no longer control his breathing nor his body. His back arched off the bed, driving his head into the headboard of the bed. Isaac and Scott rushed to hold him still, as his stitches already popped from the movement. As they held his body down, he beat his head down on the bed repeatedly, willing himself to control his movements. The effort it took to remain still caused a single tear to leak out of his closed eye. They all froze as Derek labored to get his breathing under control. He sucked air through his mouth and let it out through his nose. Melissa came over and sat on the bed lengthwise next to him, stroking his head, lifting his sweat soaked hair away from his eyes. "Shh, shh. It's alright baby. It's alright." She began to run her hand lovingly through his thick hair, softly humming a melody both Scott and Stiles recognized as the lullaby Ms. McCall had used to put them to sleep.

Carry on my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more

The group looked on in surprise as Derek squeezed his eyes shut, and curled his head to rest on Ms. McCall's thigh. Melissa continued on with the lullabye, stroking his head, occasionally murmuring that it was group watched with wide eyed astonishment. Scott turned towards Stiles, who had tears making a watery trail down his cheeks. Scott put a comforting arm around his friend, who patted his shoulder in return. Scott knew that this song was also the song that Stiles's mother used to calm him from his nightmares. After what seemed like hours, it looked as if Derek had finally drifted off to a merciful sleep.

"Whew, that was close." Allison whispered as Melissa tried to roll out of the bed. But she stopped suddenly as Derek began to stir with a small whimper. She leaned her back against the headboard, fixing to settle in to stay at least a little while. She couldn't resist mothering the suffering young man. For crying out loud, he was only 22. And at 22 years of age, he had the weight of the world already on his shoulders; the death of his first love, the murder of his entire family, the responsibility of leading a pack, and the duty to see that his betas were brought up right. He had picked these kids for a reason. He saw suffering teens, teens with nothing much for parents, and crap for lives. He did his best to ease their suffering by offering them to join his pack. If only they could see all of the sacrifices Derek had made for them. But after Erica's death, and killing Boyd, Isaac seemed to think that Derek didn't care. She was pulled from her musings as Allison spoke.

"What time is it?"

Melissa looked at her watch.

"It's almost 7:30 A.M." She replied with a sigh.

"So….what now?" Stiles asked.

"Right now I think you guys should clean up a little bit. When your done, come on back in." Melissa instructed. "Now go," she shooed.

* * *

After about 45 minutes, everyone was back in the room. They were all freshly showered with clean clothes.

"Ok, it's my turn. Can someone come here and sit with him?" Ms. McCall asked quietly.

"I will," Allison piped up.

"Ok, good. Come here. As soon as I get up, you sit right where I was, OK?" She questioned.

"Yeah."

"On three. One, two, three," Melissa then moved so that Allison could take her place. Allison slipped into the spot Ms. McCall previously occupied, letting Derek's head rest against her thigh. She jumped slightly as he moved, but then relaxed as he yet again went still.

"I'll be back with breakfast," Ms. McCall assured as she exited the room.

Scott looked over at Stiles with concern written plainly on his face.

"Stiles, what's wrong man?" Scott asked quietly.

"Dude, Derek doesn't have a mom anymore. He doesn't even have a dad like I do. He's got nobody. And when he tried to build a family of his own, that was taken away from him too." Stiles replied in a hushed tone. Scott looked over at Derek, who was sleeping restlessly against Allison's leg. He then realized just how young Derek looked with his eyes closed. Especially after he had shaved the stubble on his face recently.

"I know. Have you ever noticed how young Derek looks when he's sleeping?" Scott asked as he turned to Stiles.

"No," Stiles replied strongly. "None of us have ever actually seen him sleeping. I never knew he actually did sleep. But now that you mention it, he does look really young. You know, my dad used to say that your true age is reflected in your eyes."

"Yeah, I never really thought about that before." Scott answered. "It's kinda cool."

"Dude, did you see Derek's eyes? They were red before, then they were purple. What does purple even mean?" Stiles questioned suddenly.

"I don't know. But I think Deaton might."

Both Stiles and Scott looked up as Ms. McCall entered the room bearing a tray full of a vast assortment of fruits and sliced bread.

"Anybody hungry?" She asked as she set the tray down at the bedside table.

"Definitely," Stiles replied as he jumped from his seated position.

"So….what's Deaton think so far?" Melissa asked as she sat down next to her son.

"He doesn't know yet. But he'll be over later sometime. He thinks he's on the verge of figuring this out, but he's not sure." Scott replied with his attention still glued to the restless Derek.

"Do you think he's gonna be ok?" Scott suddenly asked.

"Of course he is sweetheart." Ms. McCall assured her son.

"I hope so."


	4. Don't You Cry No More

Scott checked his watch. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. Just as they were all dozing off, Allison's hurried voice woke each of them with a start.

"Hey guys, he's waking up!" Allison whispered urgently.

Scott jumped up and rushed over to the side of the bed.

"Come on Allison." Ms. McCall urged as she helped Allison get up without jostling Derek too much. "I don't want you getting scratched." She said pointing at Derek's elongated claws. Allison hurried off the bed as Derek began to grow restless and move about.

"Scott, where is Dr. Deaton?" Melissa questioned.

"He should be here any minute," Scott assured his mother. He sighed in relief as he heard a loud knock on the door.

"It's probably Deaton. I'll go get it," Scott proclaimed as he jumped up to go answer the door. Scott quickly opened the door and ushered Deaton inside.

"Any change in his eye color?" Deaton inquired as he and Scott made their way upstairs.

"Yeah," Scott answered as he stopped abruptly. "They turned a dark purple."

"I thought as much." Deaton answered as they continued on their way into the guest room.

"Dr. Deaton, I'm glad you could is a little outside my experience." Melissa stated in way of greeting. Deaton looked over at Derek as his head tossed from side to side.

"Here, let me see him." Deaton instructed as he made his way over to the side of the bed. He lifted Derek's eyelid and peered at them with a small penlight he took from his bag. After about 5 seconds however, Derek moaned and turned away from the bright light.

"Scott, come here." Deaton beckoned.

"What is it?" Scott asked as he made his way over to his boss.

"Take a look at this," Deaton stated as he gently turned Derek's head and lifted his eyelid. "Look at the color of his iris."

Scott's mouth dropped open in shock.

"What's going on with him?" Scott asked in amazement. Derek's eyes were rapidly changing from deep red to purple, then back again.

"He's changing, evolving if you will. But not into something you'd expect." Scott looked up at Deaton with suspicion in his gaze.

"What do you mean, 'Not into something you'd expect'?" Deaton pulled a worn book out from his bag and handed it to Scott.

"There's a myth well known among both emissaries and werewolves. A legend really."

"What about?" Scott questioned absently as he turned through the pages.

"Here, read this." Deaton pointed to a small paragraph on a page he had stopped at.

"The Delta Wolf," Scott breathed as he read the title.

"The what?" Stiles asked as both he, Isaac, and Allison looked over to Scott.

"The Delta Wolf," Scott repeated.

"What does that even mean?" Allison asked as she strode over and peered over Scott's shoulder to look at the paragraph.

"Here, listen to this; _When the need for a Great Apha emerges, there will be one individual lycan of incredible character and strength. This individual was chosen the moment The Nemeton sprouted, in hopes of protecting humanity against enemies of both supernatural and human origin. When the need arrives, the individual will be marked with violet eyes. This will be the only lycan ever gifted violet eyes. It will distinguish them from the omegas and betas, with their gold or blue eyes, and from other alphas, with their red ones. They will be known as The Great Alpha, or The Delta Wolf. Another alpha will also rise from the dust; a True Alpha. Together, no supernatural threat will be able to stand against them._ " Scott finished.

The entire group was silent.

"So…..what does that mean?" Stiles asked Deaton, still clueless as to what was happening.

"It means that the need has arisen for a Great Alpha. With the awakening of the Nemeton, many supernatural beings will be drawn here. Powerful ones. And the ancestors prophesied that when the time came, a werewolf would rise from whatever status they once were to become The Delta Wolf, a very powerful Alpha. There will only ever be one Delta Wolf, so they will be marked by the color of their eyes. And it appears Derek here was chosen."

"So, Derek's gonna be like some Super Werewolf or something?" Stiles asked intrigued.

"Not quite yet. The transformation takes a while." Deaton responded.

"Oh, Doc. Before I forget, I need to ask you something."

Deaton nodded for Scott to continue.

"Isaac and I tried to take Derek's pain, but it's not working. Is it something wrong with us? Or aren't we able to take this kind of pain?"

"That could be for several reasons, Scott. The first might be because Derek has an emotional wall that keeps things in or out. He doesn't trust anyone, and so he built a surreal wall around his emotions. I've never seen anything like it. Even an empathic reader tried, but they couldn't get anything off him. Why do you think he is always in control of his transformation?"

"That's kinda cool," Stiles mumbled.

"And the other reason?" Scott prodded.

"Second, he isn't letting you. This could be for two reasons. First, he's never had anyone take his pain. Second, he might be protecting anyone from feeling what he is feeling, so he blocks it with the wall. However, this is dangerous for him. When you try to take his pain, he tries extra hard to keep it from you, hurting him even more. But, he needs to let some of it go. It could have built up so much that it's slowly killing him. If it comes to it, he's gonna need you and Isaac to take at least some of his pain."

"What's that?" Stiles pointed at the syringe Deaton pulled out of his bag.  
"This is a rare strain of venom from a South African scorpion that numbs everything from the neck down. But, it only lasts for about 2 hours. I can't give him anymore than this, otherwise it'll kill him. So only give it to him when he wakes up." Deaton instructed as he handed the syringe to Scott.

He turned back around to the still unconscious Derek and checked his wound.

"I don't think we'll need to drain it again, but just in case, keep an eye out for any swelling. I need to get going. In case anything major happens, give me a call."

As Melissa and Allison escorted Deaton to the door, Isaac moved over to Derek's bedside. He closed his eyes and sighed as he pondered on how to apologize to Derek once he was conscious. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Scott.

Isaac gave him a small smile in gratitude.

"Uh, guys. I think he's waking up again. Scott, where did you put that needle?" Stiles asked, spinning in circles looking for the syringe. He didn't want a repeat performance of last time.

"I got it right here." Scott gestured to the syringe in his right hand.

"It better be ready," Stiles warned as he moved over to Derek's other side.

Scott readied the needle as Derek's eyes opened. They were bright and glassy from pain, but they were also glowing a deep stormy violet.

"Hey, easy there Derek. We're gonna help you, just hang on a sec," Scott assured as he gently stuck the needle into Derek's neck. His eyes dulled back to their natural green state, and he began to settle down. After a few sharp breath intakes, Derek sighed in relief as all feeling left his body, and he became comfortably numb.

"What happened?" Derek asked, looking to Scott with a confused expression.

"What do you remember?" Scott replied.

"Not much." He admitted.

"Well, after defeating the Darach, we went to check on the others. When we got their, Isaac-"

"Oh my God, Isaac!" Derek looked around frantically until his gaze settled on his young beta, who had moved to a chair at the end of the bed. As soon as Scott had said the name, he remembered watching Isaac bleed from a wound made by the Darach. He then remembered taking his pain, like he did Cora's.

"He's alright. See? You saved him. I take it you remember what happened then?" Scott observed.

"Yeah." Just then, his body remembered how thirsty he was. As soon as he coughed, a cup was brought to his lips, and he drank conservatively, knowing from experience that gulping water was bound to make him throw it back up. As Scott set the cup back down on the bed stand, he turned his eyes back to Derek.

"Something you wanna say, Scott?" Derek demanded.

"What happened to your eyes?" Scott asked hesitantly.

Derek sighed deeply and looked away.

"I had to save Cora. And the only way to do it was to give her my spark."

"What spark?" Stiles interrupted.

"My spark that makes me an alpha. It's that extra energy that boosts your senses. I had a large enough spark so that I was able to save Cora. Which is why I am now just an omega." Derek spoke the last part quietly.

"An omega? Dude, I doubt you have any idea what you are." Stiles shot knowingly.

Derek's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He questioned suspiciously.

"What do you know about The Delta Wolf?" Scott asked.

"Every born werewolf knows the legend. A group of emissaries prophesied that a superior lycan would rise from their present status to become _The_ Alpha. The protector of the Nemeton, and the town that surrounded it. But...it's just a story my mother used to tell us when we were kids." Derek finished.

"What if I told you I happened to find a werewolf with violet eyes?" Scott baited.

"You've actually found a werewolf with violet eyes?" Derek asked in disbelief.

"Yup. Right in our backyard." Stiles piped up.

"The legend goes on to say that The Delta Wolf would be marked with violet eyes. But this werewolf can't just be any lycan. It's got to be a very powerful specimen."

Scott and Stiles shared a look before focusing back on Derek's story.

"The legend also says it's a very painful transformation, which is why the individual must have an insane pain tolerance level."

Stiles and Scott shared another look that didn't pass Derek's scrutiny.

"Who is it?" He inquired hesitantly. Judging by the silence that followed, and the silent communication between Scott and Stiles, Derek knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Just tell me!" He demanded.

"Hang on a sec," Stiles said hurriedly as he ran off to the bathroom. He promptly returned with a small mirror.

"Ok, look into this mirror and change the color of your eyes."

Derek looked at him suspiciously.

"Go on!" Stiles urged.

Derek sighed and straightened his head so that he was looking straight into the mirror.

He closed his eyes, then opened them. He jumped slightly as he took in the appearance of his eyes. They were glowing dark purple, and getting more intense. He seemed mesmerized by the color. He promptly screwed his eyes shut as the mirror shattered.

Stiles backed away, covering his face with his arm to prevent glass from getting in his face. Scott jumped back in shock, and Isaac stood up, concerned.

"It's me?!" Derek asked rhetorically in disbelief.

"Yeah, apparently it's you." Stiles replied.


	5. Update

I just wanna let you guys know that I haven't forgotten about this story, but I'm kinda not sure where to take it. If any of you have any ideas, I'd appreciate it if you'd either review or message me. Thanks!


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